Thursday, March 30, 2006

Spring Training Cuts

Lot of big names cut the last few days.

BAL - Geronimo Gil - The Orioles have finally figured out that he’s completely awful and appear to be going the smart route and using Javy as Hernandez’ backup and not being a slave to the OHMIGOD WHAT IF HERNANDEZ IS INJURED AND LOPEZ IS DHING AND WE HAVE TO BAT THE PITCHER ONCE OR TWICE! mentality that seems to be pervasive when a team is using their spare catcher elsewhere.

BOS - Tony Graffanino - Someone should have traded for him.

DET - Carlos Pena - Pena and Choi dumped the last week - Reds will again decide that they rather have Scott Hatteberg, for no reason in particular.

FLA - Kerry Ligtenberg - Pitched well enough that he’ll get another invite and should show up in the majors this season.

HOU - Steve Sparks - He’s not 50 yet, so he may still pop up somewhere.

LA - Brian Meadows and Aaron Sele - Not making the team, giving them a chance to latch onto another desperate team. Meadows might be useful - Sele should be sent behind the barn for the Ol’ Yeller treatment. Well, probably not worth the price of the bullet - send him to the Royals instead.

NYN - Tike Redman - Going elsewhere. Who knows where, but it’s unlikely that he’s ever a starter again, which is a good thing.

PHI - Ricardo Rodriguez - Never really established himself so he’s clearly going the journeyman route for now on - I don’t see him as having much upside.

SD - Steve Andrade - Andrade goes to KC, which is a good thing for him since KC’s pitching staff is horrible - he’s instantly the 3rd or 4th best reliever on the team.

STL - Deivi Cruz - Useful player, but the Cardinals had Luna and Miles. He’ll be on a major league roster in the next few weeks.

TEX - John Wasdin - Awful this spring (all spring caveats apply!). Wasdin was good enough last year in mopup duty that he’ll pop up somewhere.

WAS - Ryan Church - Brandon Watson is hte latest speedy fairly useless Bowden special. Don’t forget, this is the guy who traded David Wells for Curtis Goodwin and pretty much all the speedy failed outfield prospects of the last decade have been signed by Bowden at one time or another, from Kimera Bartee to Deion Sanders.

Reader Comments and Retorts

Statements posted here are those of our readers and do not represent the BaseballThinkFactory. Names are provided by the poster and are not verified. We ask that posters follow our submission policy. Please report any inappropriate comments.

WAS - Ryan Church - Brandon Watson is hte latest speedy fairly useless Bowden special. Don’t forget, this is the guy who traded David Wells for Curtis Goodwin and pretty much all the speedy failed outfield prospects of the last decade have been signed by Bowden at one time or another, from Kimera Bartee to Deion Sanders.
As a Reds fan, yes, those signings made me unhappy.

The acquisition that pissed me off the most was Brian Hunter in 2000. I swore off being a Reds fan as long as he was on the team. Fortunately it was only 48 PA's.

I'd insult Bowden here like nearly everyone else does, but I think it's pretty cliche and overdone at this point. I don't know what to say in its place though.

The Orioles have finally figured out that he’s completely awful and appear to be going the smart route and using Javy as Hernandez’ backup and not being a slave to the OHMIGOD WHAT IF HERNANDEZ IS INJURED AND LOPEZ IS DHING AND WE HAVE TO BAT THE PITCHER ONCE OR TWICE! mentality that seems to be pervasive when a team is using their spare catcher elsewhere.

This originally wouldn't have been too much of an issue, because they were going to make Lopez the 1Bman. But now he's the DH, so it will be (*). Betcha they pick up another catcher somewhere. Watch the waiver wire. They might claim they're okay with the current setup... but if there's anything that defines the MLB establishment, it's risk aversion.

( (*) On the other hand, it makes more sense to move your starting DH to starting C once a week and find a new DH for that day than it would have to move your starting 1B to C once a week and find a new 1B for that day.)

( (*) On the other hand, it makes more sense to move your starting DH to starting C once a week and find a new DH for that day than it would have to move your starting 1B to C once a week and find a new 1B for that day.)

In theory, this is true, but the Orioles have Millar and Conine - they're fine on backup 1B.

The real issue is that Lopez was struggling to learn the position, and he was taking his struggles to bat with him.

Supposedly Brandon Phillips may be released, or traded. From the Columbus Dispatch:

"The Indians will try to trade Phillips over the next 72 hours, and if they cannot, he likely will be released. He packed his bags moments after a 6-5 win over Houston — in which he hit a home run — and headed home to Georgia."

As for Graffanino: will the Mets offer KC more than they offered Boston? I'm sure Boston would rather have traded him. Maybe NYM really thought he'd sneak up the waiver wire chain.

And is there any timetable on when we'll hear about Pena? Has everyone forgot about the 27 HRs he hit in 2004, with half his games at Comerica? Not to mention the 70 BBs.

Betcha they pick up another catcher somewhere. Watch the waiver wire. They might claim they're okay with the current setup... but if there's anything that defines the MLB establishment, it's risk aversion.

Well, that took a long time:

Catcher Raul Chavez was claimed on outright waivers by the Baltimore Orioles, the Astros announced on Friday. ...

Sele might go to Las Vegas. After Alvarez and Lima, I am hesitant to write anybody completely off for pitching for the Dodgers. Of course, that was during the Dan Evans/Jim Colborn era; last year there were no suprises. I doubt Sele has anything left, but I don't mind taking a gamble in Vegas. </witty pun>

I saw him pitch @ cashman against SEA and he did alright pitching in the low 90's. Not good enough for me to think he's anything better than an mlb mop up guy, but at least not as bad as Scott Erickson.

OT: Lasorda was at the game in a seat in section 15 (First base line slightly behind screen about 5 rows back) and he was getting mobbed for photographs between every inning.